To add flavour to an Easter lunch while keeping added fat under control, start by choosing plain frozen herbs or a blend of herbs and other flavourings. Then check the ingredients and the fat content per 100 g of the specific product. A sauce or flavoured butter serves a different purpose; any fat you add to the recipe also counts towards the finished dish.
When seasoning fish, vegetables or an Easter salad, you can start with frozen herbs and decide separately how much oil, butter or sauce to use in the recipe. Check the ingredients list and fat content per 100 g to see what’s in the product you’ve chosen.
Ready-to-use herbs and flavourings can make those final preparations before a meal easier. Darégal describes its frozen herbs as already washed and chopped; all that remains is to choose the flavours that suit your recipes.
If parsley, basil or chives feature in several recipes, compare the varieties and quantities you’ll need. The Rustica range featured by E.Leclerc includes small packs and 250 g bags, depending on the herb.
First, decide whether you want herbs or a prepared cooking ingredient, then choose the variety and quantity that suit the dishes you have planned. If you’re choosing with fat content in mind, compare the nutritional information for the specific product, rather than confusing it with the figures for the seasoned dish.
| Criteria | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients and fat content | Read the product name, ingredients and fat content per 100 g to tell herbs apart from a sauce or flavoured butter. | If I want to flavour fish without relying on a sauce, I first want to control what I add to the dish; around 42% of consumers would prioritise fat content. |
| Quick preparation | Choose a single herb or a blend to suit your recipes, and check the instructions for the product you select. | When several dishes still need finishing, I need flavourings that are quick to use; around 33% of consumers would put saving time first. |
| Variety and quantity | Compare the herb, the net weight and the number of recipes you plan to use it in. | For a single recipe, I’d rather choose a suitable quantity than have an opened bag left over; around 25% of consumers would make pack size and variety their priority. |
The herb section featured by Auchan also includes sauces and flavoured butters. The product name or where it’s displayed isn’t enough to tell you whether it’s suitable for the same purpose or the same approach to fat content.
Check the product name first, then read the ingredients, any listed allergens and the fat content per 100 g.
The nutritional information for herbs describes the product itself, not the fish, vegetables or salad after you’ve added oil, butter or another sauce.
Choose herbs for their ingredients, then consider the seasoning and cooking method separately.
A 250 g pack may suit several uses, while a smaller pack or a blend may be a better fit for a particular recipe. The right quantity depends on the dishes you’ll actually prepare.
Think about your Easter recipes and how else you might use the herbs before choosing a variety and net weight.
The journey from the shop to your freezer is part of planning the meal. Anses advises picking up frozen products at the end of your shopping trip and carrying them in an insulated bag.
Plan your journey home, put the herbs in the freezer as soon as you can, and follow the storage instructions on the pack.
Picard offers, among other products, a 50 g pack of frozen salad herb mix. It’s worth considering when several herbs and flavourings would work well in your recipe.
Darégal offers frozen herbs for a range of cooking uses.
The Rustica range featured by E.Leclerc includes several frozen herbs, such as parsley, basil and chives.
The range featured by Auchan brings together frozen herbs and other products for seasoning dishes.
Read the ingredients and fat content per 100 g for the product you’re considering, rather than relying on the word “herbs” alone. For this specific product, the information for Picard’s 50 g salad herb mix lists herbs and flavourings and states that it contains less than 0.5 g of fat per 100 g. Any seasoning you add afterwards should be considered separately.
Not without checking the specific product. A parsley and garlic mix is a prepared ingredient whose composition can vary, while flavoured butter isn’t plain herbs. If you simply want to add flavour to a dish, compare the ingredients lists and fat content per 100 g before making the swap.
Pick them up at the end of your shopping trip and use an insulated bag for the journey home, as Anses advises for frozen products. Then put them in the freezer and follow the storage instructions on the packaging.
Yes. Check the label on the product you buy, particularly if it’s a parsley and garlic mix, sauce or another prepared product. DGCCRF states that allergenic ingredients must be highlighted in the ingredients list of prepacked foods.